Morning settled gently over the manor.
By the time Mallory stepped out of Lucien's study, the house had already begun to stir—quiet movement in the halls, distant voices, the soft rhythm of a place that functioned without disorder.
She didn't linger.
There was nothing more to say.
⸻
Breakfast was already set when she arrived.
The table looked different in the morning light—less shadowed, more precise. Everything in its place. Everything expected.
Lucien was there so were his sisters.Eve brightened the moment she saw Mallory, her curiosity as open as ever. Miranda, however, barely glanced at her before returning her attention to her tea.Mallory took her seat.Silence held for a moment.
"Well," Miranda said lightly, setting her cup down with careful precision. "This is new."
Lucien didn't look up. "You'll have to be more specific."
"I didn't realize you had taken an interest in… unusual company."
The words were smooth. Polished.Sharp.Eve's eyes flicked between them.Mallory remained still.
Lucien finally lifted his gaze, resting it on his sister with calm indifference. "You've met yourself. I assumed you'd be used to it."Eve let out a small, surprised laugh before quickly covering it.Miranda's expression tightened—just slightly."How amusing," she said coolly. "Is that what this is, then? Entertainment?"
Lucien reached for his cup, unbothered. "If it were, you'd be considerably more interesting."That ended it.Not loudly but completely.
Miranda didn't press further, though the look she gave Mallory lingered longer this time—measured, deliberate.
Mallory didn't return it.She focused on her meal instead.
⸻
They didn't stay long after that.
One by one, the table emptied, each retreating into their own part of the house without announcement.
Mallory didn't follow anyone.She stepped outside and wondered around the house, she then noticed a garden.The garden stretched farther than she expected.
Wide paths curved through carefully tended greenery, the air softer here, touched by the faint scent of flowers she couldn't immediately name. Hedges lined the walkways in quiet order, trimmed with precision that spoke of constant care.It wasn't overwhelming.Just… expansive.Intentional.
Mallory moved slowly along the path, her steps quieter against the stone. For a moment, she allowed herself to breathe—to exist without needing to think three steps ahead.
Just for a moment,voices carried across the garden.Faint at first,then clearer.
"…honestly, I don't know what he was thinking."
Miranda.Mallory slowed—but didn't stop.
Another voice followed, unfamiliar, curious. "Who?"
"The girl inside," Miranda replied. "The one at breakfast."Mallory's gaze lowered slightly, though her steps remained steady."Who is she?" the other woman asked."No one worth remembering," Miranda said lightly. "Just someone my brother decided to bring in. Though I suppose even he is allowed poor judgment now and then."
A quiet laugh followed.Mallory didn't look back.Didn't pause and didn't react.She simply turned at the next path and walked away because reacting would mean acknowledging it.And she refused to give Miranda that.
⸻
"Lady Mallory."The voice came later.A servant this time."Master Lucien wishes to see you."Of course he did.Mallory nodded once. "Where?"
"The study."
⸻
The door opened at her knock.
Lucien was where she had left him earlier—seated, composed, the morning light falling across the desk in a way that made everything look sharper, more defined.
His gaze lifted as she entered.
"You didn't take long to decide you were serious."
Mallory stepped inside. "I told you I was."
"So you did."
He studied her briefly, his attention more focused this time—not casual, not distant.
"Tell me," he said, "are you educated?"
The question caught her slightly off guard—but she answered anyway.
"Yes."
"How well?"
"Well enough."
His lips curved faintly at that. "That tells me very little."
"I can read. Write. Keep accounts if needed."
Lucien considered that. "And follow instructions?"Mallory met his gaze. "If they make sense."That earned a quiet exhale—something close to amusement."I'll keep that in mind."
A pause settled between them, but it didn't feel uncertain. Just… measured.Then his tone shifted, just slightly.
"If you intend to work here or elsewhere—there's something you'll need to understand."Mallory's attention sharpened."You're not unknown," he continued. "And not in a way that benefits you."Her expression didn't change—but her silence said enough."If you step outside this house as you are now," he went on, "you won't be seen as someone looking for work.""You'll be seen as something else entirely."
Mallory's fingers curled faintly at her sides."A criminal," she said.Lucien held her gaze. "Worse, depending on who's speaking."
The words settled, heavier than anything he'd said before.Mallory didn't look away. "Then I won't go out.""That's not a solution."
"It's a temporary one."
Lucien tilted his head slightly, studying her again. "You don't plan on staying here."
"No."
"Yet you're planning around leaving."
"Yes."
Another pause.
"If you want that to work," he said, "you'll need to clear your name."
Mallory's breath stilled—just slightly."That's not simple."
"No," he agreed. "It isn't."Silence followed.Not empty.Just… real.
Mallory exhaled slowly. "And how exactly do you expect me to do that?"
Lucien's gaze didn't shift.
"I don't expect anything," he said calmly. "But if you want to move freely, if you want work that doesn't end with suspicion or worse—"He leaned back slightly."Then that's where you start."
Mallory held his gaze.Because for the first time—this wasn't about surviving the day.It was about everything that came after.And that was going to be harder.